Grace We are often so quick to give others grace, yet so hard on ourselves. We hold on to mistakes. We replay moments. We have full conversations in our heads. We wish we had done better or said something different. And through all of this, are we giving ourselves the same grace we would give someone else? Personally, I’m even quicker to forgive others than I am to forgive myself. Where did we learn this? This isn’t what the Bible teaches, nor is it how Jesus shows us we shou

Romans 12:2 “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”   The book of Romans is so powerful, and much of it applies to how we are to walk with Christ. Paul holds nothing back when preaching the Gospel to anyone and everyone, and I love that about this part of the Bible. None of the apostles held back — they

Have any of you ever stolen something? I did… I was about 6 years old, and I was at Walmart with my mom. I remember seeing the single pieces of gum — the Super Bubble brand. When you chewed that gum, you practically broke your teeth trying to get it soft enough to enjoy. Well, I really wanted one, but I didn’t have the 25 cents it cost. Instead of asking my mom, I just slipped one into my pocket. I stole it… it was just the beginning of my rebellion — just kidding. I wasn’t t

Speak Out 2 Timothy 1:7-10 - "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord…. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. And now he

Why God’s Timing Is Worth the Wait That’s a great question — why is His timing worth the wait? I know that sometimes when weighing things out, I don’t find some things worth waiting for. Like, is it really worth waiting an hour and a half for a table at a restaurant? No, I don’t think so. Is it worth waiting for my package to be delivered next week when I can probably go to the store and get it tomorrow? No, I don’t think so. But is it worth it for me to wait to receive what

Nothing alienates us or makes us feel a certain way like making a mistake or thinking we’ve failed at something. Trust me, I know — no one beats me up more than I do when I make a mistake, fail, or think I’ve disappointed someone. For example, I was just on the Bible App website wanting to open the Bible section. I kept clicking “Bible,” wondering why the screen wasn’t changing… then I realized I was already on it. I sat there afterward thinking, oh my gosh, what is wrong wit

You See What You Get Have you ever met someone who is blunt and open, yet hard to read at the same time? Sometimes those people are honest and what you see is what you get, so they’re hard to read simply because there’s nothing lingering in the background. It’s all out front. I think this describes Jesus. He was blunt, honest, and open. He was transparent. He had no agenda other than doing God’s work. He was discerning, and He brought grace, mercy, and salvation through the c

In our minds, we can say we are willing, but when it comes down to it, is your heart willing? There is a parable about a rich young ruler coming to Jesus saying, “I have followed every law. What else do I need to do to follow you?” And Jesus says, “Give up all you have and follow me.” The young ruler was heartbroken; he couldn’t and didn’t want to give up all he had. This is being willing but not fully willing. I was reading Joshua 2 and came across an unlikely willing perso

“Pearls are formed when a natural or artificial irritant enters a mollusk (oyster or mussel), prompting it to secrete a protective, crystalline substance called nacre (a mixture of calcium carbonate and proteins) to coat the intruder. This layer-by-layer coating process, occurring over months or years, creates the lustrous gem, with cultured pearls involving human insertion of a nucleus.” — (Google info through AI) Isn’t that interesting? The process is much longer than I tho

Eight years ago, my dad passed away. Six years ago, my mom started having medical problems. It was a lot for me because I was the one taking all of this on. At one point, I thought I might be starting to have a mental breakdown because I was feeling stressed and helpless. I felt as though I just couldn’t catch up because I had a family to take care of as well. Everything felt heavy. But something happened. I suddenly realized how much I needed God to take things from me, and

Our Solution or His? Have you ever had a problem, and tried every solution you could think of to fix it, and then, as a last resort, asked God for help? We all have because we want to be the one to fix them. This is a simple example, but one time my mother-in-law misplaced her wallet. She looked everywhere and was convinced that she had left it somewhere, so she was going to call and cancel all her cards and get new ones issued. She let us know what was going on because she n

Hopeful Anticipation Hopeful anticipation — a seed of hope — something we are certain will happen because of faith. We come to know that this hope is true when we grow closer to God and when we trust in Him with all that we are. There is hopeful anticipation because we have a Father who loves us, knows us, and is always with us. We also have a little book called the Bible to help back up God’s promises, and through the history given, we know that God is the same yesterday, to

I cannot tell you how many times I was more willing to do something when someone wanted to guide me than when someone just told me what to do. This is human of us, right? We don’t like being told what to do, and when that does happen, we are more likely to become bitter and defiant. But if we are asked nicely and then guided, we will be more willing and obedient. Throughout the Bible, we read many passages where God and Jesus are very direct, but in that directness, there is

How Far Would You Be? This is something my dad would always jokingly ask. I would be walking away after a conversation, and he would call my name. I’d go back, and he’d smile and ask, “If I hadn’t called you back, how far would you be?” Let’s think about that question. If we started something today, how far would we be if we kept it up? When there is a new year, we often set new goals. These goals are ones that we either stick with, or they’re ones we start, get tired of, dec

Today we’re talking about new goals that often bring excitement — and are a little overwhelming. With the new year comes new goals and new motivation and hope. Sure, there is a little hesitation and uncertainty, but we are going to push through. God cares more about who we’re becoming than how fast we achieve our goal. We all set goals, but sometimes our goals can be a little more ambitious and a little less realistic. But that is not to say that those ambitious goals can’t b

Today we are talking about resetting. It’s not about quitting or failing; it’s about beginning again and trying something new. Life actually requires us to reset often. We sleep every night to reset our bodies. Our schedules, expectations, attitudes, and priorities all need the same from time to time. God is the God of fresh starts. We have this one computer here at the office, and I hate restarting it. It’s a super old computer, and when we restart it, it takes 15 minutes to

Life doesn’t go as planned quite a lot, and so we just have to act like we know what we are doing. The best thing about all this is that though we are caught off guard, God is not. We may have to improvise, but He never does. And I don’t know about you, but I would love some insight from God so I could just be prepared for all things… One day we were out shopping, and we got to the parking lot of the last store, and all of a sudden our truck would no longer go. This, of cours

Sometimes we get so set in our routine that we just start making our Bible study time a box to check off. But really, this time is more about connection. Like you, I still want to study more and can feel stuck, intimidated, and maybe inconsistent where I’m at in my studies. So don’t feel alone in that. The most important thing to remember is that God meets us in Scripture right where we are — not where we think we should be. The first time I decided to read through the Bible,

Let’s talk today about Christmas, because it’s just a few days away. Christmas is a celebration that God came near to us so that He could demonstrate His love to us. This coming of Jesus is where we have hope. Christmas reminds us that hope arrived in person. One thing I remember happening when I was little was that on Christmas morning, breakfast was made, and it was usually homemade biscuits, eggs, and bacon. This is something that I do every year as well. This is something

Today we’re talking about helping hands . Small acts of kindness make big differences, and I think we know that as we have each experienced that throughout our lives. There is just a willingness that comes from those who help out, which is where the impact comes from. One thing I have always tried to demonstrate to my kids is that holding the door for someone, or even just acknowledging someone who has done that with a simple thank you, makes a difference. It seems small, but